Affordable Technology Research Articles

The double‐edged sword of generative artificial intelligence in digitalization: An affordances and constraints perspective

AbstractGenerative artificial intelligence (AI) has gained prominence across various industries and domains, offering capabilities to generate human‐like text, creative ideas, and solutions. This paper explores customers' responses to the use of generative AI in digitalizing content production and consumption processes. Drawing on technology affordance theory, this article examines how are the affordances of generative AI leveraged to contribute to the gradual digitalization of individuals. This netnographic study is based on over 9 months naturalistic observations of the AI Community online, culminating in 1572 pages of data. The findings identify different types of affordances that foster digitalization: automated content creation, automated data analysis, and AI‐generated content dissemination. This study also identifies the constraints of generative AI and discusses potential interventions to address these constraints and prevent unintended consequences. This research provides insights for scholars, professionals, and educators to better understand the dynamics of leveraging generative AI.

Teachable moments: TikTok social drama as a site of Black feminist intellectual production

ABSTRACT This paper mobilizes Turner’s concept of ‘social drama’ – dramatic social events marked by conflict, antagonism, and competition through which communities articulate social norms – to examine how users engage in drama to negotiate the intersecting race, gender, and sexual power dynamics on TikTok. Through an analysis of two TikTok social dramas, I demonstrate how the technological affordances of the platform shape how users respond to drama and argue TikTok’s predominantly younger use-base utilize the platform to discuss, negotiate, and put in place socially progressive norms around racism, sexism, and homophobia. Further, I show how these dramas create opportunities for Black and of color women, femme, and queer TikTok users to engage in digital Black feminism by drawing on their lived experiences and using platform affordances to comment on the situation and educate other users. The paper concludes by considering the role of platform social dramas in bringing both opportunity and harm to marginalized users.

Affordances of Technology for Sustainability-Oriented K–12 Informal Engineering Education

The need for sustainability-oriented K–12 engineering education that expands beyond the classroom and the increased accessibility of educational technologies create an opportunity for examining the affordances of educational technologies in low-stakes informal engineering education settings. In this paper, we share our experiences of using novel technologies to develop sustainability-oriented mental models in K–12 informal engineering education. Through the use of technologies including Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Minecraft video games, Tinkercad (browser-based application for computer-aided design (CAD)), and physical computing, we have designed and tested approaches to introduce students to engineering design and engineering habits of mind with an overarching theme of developing sustainability-oriented mental models among K–12 youth in informal engineering education spaces. In this paper, we share our approaches, and lessons learned, and outline directions for future research.

Embodied immersive virtual reality to enhance the conceptual understanding of charged particles: A qualitative study

Learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is often challenging due to the abstract and counterintuitive nature of some concepts. Computer-based learning has emerged as an alternative method to help improve students' comprehension of these complex topics, even though technological tools must be supported with pedagogical strategies, technology affordances, sound design, and structured activities to teach scientific concepts properly. In that sense, we propose the design of an immersive virtual reality (IVR) experience, including visual and haptic cues to facilitate learning about electric fields (EFs) and charged particles (CPs) concepts. We scaffolded our design tool based on embodied design principles and cognition. The IVR experience allows learners to manipulate the components of point charges (e.g., particles, distance between particles, and charges) to learn electricity concepts. We conducted a qualitative study (N = 8) to assess the designed application. The sample included undergraduate students (five male and three female) from technology-related fields with some or no prior knowledge of high school or higher education physics. We assessed study participants' conceptual understanding through a pretest-posttest and conducted a brief interview to identify their expected interaction with the designed affordances. Screen recording and the System Usability Scale (SUS) are the other metrics of interest in defining study participants’ performance and experience. The collected data and thematic analysis suggested that participants recognized the included affordances based on the embodied design principles and used them to interact, link previous knowledge, and identify the different factors to explain the physics phenomenon. Additionally, we provided insights for designing IVR experiences to promote conceptual understanding of complex STEM topics based on embodied learning principles.

The Paradox of Algorithmic Human Resource Management: Based on Technology Affordance Theory

The Paradox of Algorithmic Human Resource Management: Based on Technology Affordance Theory

Business analytics affordances for supply chain value creation: A technology-organization-environment perspective

Despite the potential of business analytics (BA) in supply chains, many firms struggle to effectively integrate and leverage BA in their supply chains, leading to underutilized data and missed opportunities for optimization. Therefore, this study utilizes an affordance perspective to study the actualization of BA affordances within supply chains. We conduct a multiple case study analysis, interviewing 28 individuals across nine companies. Our investigation uncovers a hierarchy of intertwined affordances facilitating supply chain information management, cooperation, and customer-focused solutions. Significantly, we highlight the unique influence of technology, organization, and environmental (TOE) factors in shaping affordance actualization. As a result, we argue against generic prescriptions for BA affordance actualization, instead promoting a more tailored approach informed by specific TOE factors tied to each individual supply chain. Our work advances technology affordance research by explaining affordance actualization within supply chains and highlighting the dynamic interplay between TOE factors and BA affordance actualization. Subsequently, our research offers a nuanced understanding of BA implementation, demonstrating how tailored BA strategies can enhance supply chain optimization, cooperation, and customer-centric solutions, ultimately driving value creation for supply chains.

Microscopic Temperature Sensor Based on End-Face Fiber-Optic Fabry–Perot Interferometer

This work proposes a simple and affordable technology for the manufacturing of a miniature end-face fiber-optic temperature sensor based on a Fabry–Perot interferometer formed from a transparent UV-curable resin. For the manufactured working prototype of the sensor, the sensitivity and operating temperature range were determined, and the methods for their enhancement were proposed. Due to its small size, the proposed type of sensor can be used in high-precision and minimally invasive temperature measurements, in biology for microscale sample monitoring, and in medicine during operations using high-power lasers. A microwave photonic method is proposed that enables the interrogation of the sensor without using an optical spectrum analyzer.

Toward next generation mixed reality games: a research through design approach

Mixed reality (MR) games refer to games that integrate physical entities with digitally mediated contents. Currently, it entails game creators to integrate heterogeneous virtual and physical components, which is often time-consuming and labor-intensive, without the support of a coherent technology stack. The underlying technodiversity manifested by the research corpus suggests a complicated, multi-dimensional design space that goes beyond merely technical concerns. In this research, we adopted a research-through-design approach and proposed an MR game technology stack that facilitates flexible, low-code game development. As design grounding, we first surveyed 34 state-of-the-art studies, and results were synergized into three different spectra of technological affordances, respectively activity range, user interface and feedback control, to inform our next design process. We then went through an iterative prototyping phase and implemented an MR game development toolset. A co-design workshop was conducted, where we invited 15 participants to try the prototype tools and co-ideate the potential use scenarios for the proposed technology stack. First-hand user feedback was collected via questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. As a result, four conceptual game designs with three major design implications were generated, which conjointly reflect a broader understanding on MR gameful experience and contribute fresh insights to this emerging research domain.

How to enhance consumers’ purchase intention in live commerce? An affordance perspective and the moderating role of age

Live commerce is a novel form of social commerce characterized by real-time interaction and synchronous visualization. Drawing upon affordance theory and the affective-cognitive framework, we propose a comprehensive research model that integrates three key dimensions of affordances of live commerce technology, namely utilitarian (visibility), social (social presence, interactivity, self-presentation), and hedonic affordances (entertainment), together with consumers’ cognitive and affective states (perceived diagnosticity and psychological distance). Furthermore, we explore age as an important contingency factor in understanding consumers’ purchase intention in live commerce. We collect data from 353 consumers who have live shopping experiences in China and analyze the research model with the structural equation model approach. Results indicate that visibility, social presence, and interactivity positively contribute to perceived diagnosticity, whereas entertainment and the three social affordances reduce psychological distance. Notably, the influence of perceived diagnosticity on purchase intention is more pronounced among older consumers, whereas the impact of psychological distance on purchase intention is stronger among younger consumers. This study not only advances the understanding of affordance theory within live commerce contexts but also offers practical insights for streamers and live commerce platforms.

Development & Validation of a Packed Bed Thermal Energy Storage Model

The rapid growth of economies and population around the world have exponentially increased the demand for energy. This demand has invoked increased annual global CO2 emissions and necessitated a transition to clean energy technologies. Reliable and affordable energy storage technologies are paramount for increasing renewable energy penetration onto the grid, supporting periods with reduced or no renewable energy generation. This project is aimed at developing a Thermal Energy Storage (TES) solution that can deliver heat to a heat engine for power production or to an industrial process for prolonged periods. TES long duration energy storage (LDES) presents many potential benefits, including 1) Low Cost 2) scalability 3) high energy density 4) low carbon footprint and 5) resiliency via ability to produce synchronous power (i.e., spinning turbomachinery). The broader objective of this project is to build, test, and model the TES concept at a 2 MWh scale to determine the economic and physics-based practicality of the system. The work presented here describes the first phase objectives of the project, including benchtop scale testing, model development, and Model Validation.

Designing for financial inclusion in developing countries: Digital financial service for low-income women in Ghana

Digital financial inclusion initiatives in developing countries have gained salience because of their potential to improve the socioeconomic condition of marginalized groups such as low-income women. However, persistent challenges remain in overcoming the digital divide in developing countries and enhancing access and participation of women in digital financial services. Despite the growing scholarly attention, little is known about how digital technologies might be designed to enable financial inclusion of women in developing countries. Using the technology affordances approach, we extend previous theorizing on inclusive information system, and introduce a relational approach to designing for inclusion. Specifically, we conduct a case study of a digital finance initiative in Ghana involving the design of an interactive voice response system (IVR) for low-income women where systemic barriers to technology adoption and use are pervasive. We show the significance of user feedback, environmental factors, and affordances for more inclusive information system design. We contribute a theoretically grounded framework that takes holistic account of the sociotechnical context of IS design for inclusion.

Technological support for lifelong learning: The application of a multilevel, person-centric framework

21st century career development is increasingly characterized by recurring participation in work-related skill learning, much of which is mediated by technology. However, integration of this technology into work-related lifelong learning contexts has been relatively atheoretical and non-systematic. Building on interdisciplinary adult learning research and our findings from several studies on an online graduate degree program in a high demand STEM field, we propose a multilevel, person-centric framework of adult learning processes related to: (1) knowledge and skill acquisition, (2) the development and maintenance of motivation and wellbeing over time, and (3) transfer of learning to career-related goals. For each level of the framework, we discuss issues related to the measurement and evaluation of learning. We outline affordances (i.e., functional benefits) of technology (including artificial intelligence) for supporting career-related learning at each level, and present future directions related to major gaps in the field's understanding of these affordances. Throughout the final section, we illustrate the implications of our framework with examples of its use in a research institute focused on AI adult learning technologies. Finally, we present guiding questions for researchers and practitioners interested in technology-mediated career-related learning.

Broad Scope of Site‐Specific Crop Management and Specific Role of Remote Sensing Technologies Within It—A Review

ABSTRACTPrecision agriculture (PA) has great potential to increase agricultural productivity and profitability while reducing input costs and environmental impacts. Within PA, site‐specific crop management (SSCM) is considered the main premise, in which tillage operations and precise crop inputs (such as seed, fertiliser, water, pesticide and agrochemical) are applied according to field variability. The main aim of this review was to highlight the methods and tools used for spatial crop monitoring, soil and weather data influencing crop productivity and to support the adoption of SSCM technology. To achieve this goal: we discussed the main five components of SSCM, methods for monitoring crop and soil data, delineating field management zones (FMZs) and variable rate technologies (VRT) such as precision planting and digital smart sensors used for SSCM application. The review summarised that recent advances in plant and soil sensing systems, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning should be used in retrieving and analysing GIS big data for optimised crop inputs supply. Within VRT, light‐bar systems, automatic controllers and sensors are user‐friendly technologies that should be employed in SSCM solution. The authors highlight that adoption of PA can be increased through proper training and education of the farmers, and developing simple, affordable and efficient PA technologies. The review suggests five criteria that should be strictly adopted to get maximum benefits from SSCM: (i) all factors influencing crop yields can be identified; (ii) their effects on crop yields can be determined by using appropriate digital tools and crop modelling; (iii) variable rate crop inputs (VRCIs) should be calculated based on accurate information obtained from plant, soil and environment; (iv) targeted crop inputs should be exercised through global positioning system (GPS) enabled automatic controllers or wireless sensors network (WSN); and (v) right doses of crop inputs (e.g., nitrogen and irrigation) must be applied at the right time and place.

Image classification and reconstruction from low-density EEG

Recent advances in visual decoding have enabled the classification and reconstruction of perceived images from the brain. However, previous approaches have predominantly relied on stationary, costly equipment like fMRI or high-density EEG, limiting the real-world availability and applicability of such projects. Additionally, several EEG-based paradigms have utilized artifactual, rather than stimulus-related information yielding flawed classification and reconstruction results. Our goal was to reduce the cost of the decoding paradigm, while increasing its flexibility. Therefore, we investigated whether the classification of an image category and the reconstruction of the image itself is possible from the visually evoked brain activity measured by a portable, 8-channel EEG. To compensate for the low electrode count and to avoid flawed predictions, we designed a theory-guided EEG setup and created a new experiment to obtain a dataset from 9 subjects. We compared five contemporary classification models with our setup reaching an average accuracy of 34.4% for 20 image classes on hold-out test recordings. For the reconstruction, the top-performing model was used as an EEG-encoder which was combined with a pretrained latent diffusion model via double-conditioning. After fine-tuning, we reconstructed images from the test set with a 1000 trial 50-class top-1 accuracy of 35.3%. While not reaching the same performance as MRI-based paradigms on unseen stimuli, our approach greatly improved the affordability and mobility of the visual decoding technology.

Jurisprudence of Technology Laws

In today's rapidly evolving world of science and technology, our interactions with devices like Alexa and Siri have become as commonplace as conversations with family members. Initially, technology served to create products, generate services, or achieve desired results. However, the advent of affordable and accessible new technologies has ensnared everyone in its web, even influencing mundane activities such as drinking water, with smartwatches reminding us to hydrate. Services like Swiggy and Zomato deliver food within minutes, fostering a culture of convenience that can make us lethargic. Technology's impact spans across booking travel tickets, movie reservations, online shopping, and virtual classes, making us increasingly reliant on it. Traditionally, the essentials for human life were "Roti, Kapda, aur Makan" (food, clothing, and shelter), but now smartphones and internet access have joined this list. While technology's success hinges on data availability, it also raises significant concerns about privacy and security. The Supreme Court of India has highlighted the misuse of social media for spreading falsehoods and violating privacy rights. Social media's pervasive influence affects all age groups, particularly children, exposing them to inappropriate content and leading to premature mental maturity. This exposure results in risks like cyberbullying, sextortion, cyber trafficking, child pornography, and online fraud. Consequently, children and parents face mental health issues, academic distractions, and potential criminal involvement. The rise in cybercrime has placed India among the top ten countries affected, with Russia leading the list. The growing dependence on technology necessitates a balanced approach to leverage its benefits while safeguarding against its threats.

Multi-metal ferrite as a promising catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in microbial fuel cell.

Improving catalytic activity of cathode with noble metal-free catalysts can significantly establish microbial fuel cells (MFCs) as a sustainable and economically affordable technology. This investigation aimed to assess the viability of utilizing tri-metal ferrite (Co0.5Cu0.5 Bi0.1Fe1.9O4) as an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst to enhance the performance of cathode in MFCs. Trimetallic ferrite was synthesized using a sol-gel auto-combustion process. Electrochemical evaluations were conducted to assess the efficacy of as-synthesized composite as an ORR catalyst, employing electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). This evaluation revealed that the impregnation of bismuth in the Co-Cu-ferrite structure improves the reduction current response and reduces the charge transfer resistance. Further experiments were conducted to test the performance of this catalyst in an MFC. The MFC with tri-metal ferrite catalyst generated a power density of 11.44 W/m3 with 21.4% coulombic efficiency (CE), which was found to be comparable with commercially available 10% Pt/C used as cathode catalyst in MFC (power density of 12.14 W/m3 and CE of 23.1%) and substantially greater than MFC having bare carbon felt cathode without any catalyst (power density of 2.49 W/m3 and CE of 7.39%). This exceptionally inexpensive ORR catalyst has adequate merit to replace commercial costlier platinum-based cathode catalysts for upscaling MFCs.

Uncovering post-adoption usage of AI-based voice assistants: a technology affordance lens using a mixed-methods approach

ABSTRACT Despite the growing proliferation of AI-based voice assistants in our daily lives, how different functions of AI-based voice assistants affect users’ post-adoption usage behaviours remains an under-investigated research question. This study explores the nature and causation of post-adoption usage behaviours (effective utilisation after initial adoption or diffusion) within the context of AI-based voice assistants. Using a sequential mixed-methods research design, we first identify the post-adoption usage behaviours of AI-based voice assistants as a multidimensional concept comprised of routine use and extended use, then develop a contextualised model by revealing technology-specific antecedents, cognitive beliefs, and boundary conditions. By integrating results from the quantitative study and qualitative study, we find that three technology affordances (i.e., anthropomorphism affordance, interactivity affordance, and personalisation affordance) are salient antecedents of two cognitive beliefs, which further affect users’ routine use and extended use of AI-based voice assistants. Additionally, we uncover use frequency as a boundary condition and obtain a complementary view of post-adoption usage of AI-based voice assistants. The empirical research findings can extend the post-adoption IS usage literature and provide practical implications for crafting user-centred functionalities to facilitate effective human-AI interactions.

Beyond control? The political economy of private interception, intrusion, and surveillance markets

Private intrusion, interception, and surveillance (PIIS) markets represent a key vehicle for the global expansion of digital surveillance regimes. Yet, due to their opacity and notorious secrecy, these markets have received relatively little scholarly attention. Triangulating between a unique dataset comprising 5973 industry presentations, interviews, and industry reports, this article provides novel insights into the evolution of market structures and public control efforts. Conceptualizing the PIIS-market as a dynamic and fluid assemblage, we highlight how the enmeshment of social, political, and technological dimensions shaped hierarchies and agencies of control. Our findings point towards the existence of three intersecting dynamics of territorialization, changing technological affordances, and ordering that persistently undermined attempts to limit market operations. In reflecting on these past failures, the presented approach points towards the importance of timing and highlights a need to re-conceptualize control in state-market relations from an assemblage perspective, pragmatically working across bureaucratic boundaries and leveraging disparate power centers across the public and private divide. Considering the growing interest in economic dependencies and the strategic dimension of high-tech markets, these findings have a wider relevance to current debates about the rise of economic security states.

Blurring the line? Music, sound and “sonic gaze” in post-ceasefire Troubles-themed film

This article appraises developments in soundtracks of narrative fiction features based on the Northern Ireland Troubles, focusing on selected titles released in the post-ceasefire period that was consolidated by the Anglo-Irish (“Good Friday”) agreement of 1998. It does this with reference to earlier approaches to music and sound for Troubles-themed film, and by drawing on Danijela Kulezic-Wilson’s sound-design-is-the-new-score proposition. The article advances “sonic gaze” as a pertinent critical lens through which to complement artistic appraisals of historical and contemporary soundtracks in light of political and colonial contexts and legacies. In comparison to earlier Troubles-themed film, a small number of narrative fiction features from the turn of the twenty-first century propose alternative positions and/or innovations in their overall sound design. Readings of Resurrection Man (Marc Evans, 1998), Hunger (Steve McQueen, 2008), Five Minutes of Heaven (Oliver Hirschbiegel, 2009) and ’71 (Yann Demange, 2014) interpret several significant soundtrack developments. These arise from the involvement of popular music producers, notably David Holmes, technological affordances (production and postproduction) and alternative artistic perspectives that interrupted a colonial-anthropological sonic gaze. The article concludes that Hunger comes closest to Liz Greene and Kulezic-Wilson’s theorisations on the integrated soundtrack and on narrative film’s potential for achieving a holistic audiovisual musicality.

Improving medication adherence among persons with cardiovascular disease through m-health and community health worker-led interventions in Kerala; protocol for a type II effectiveness-implementation research-(SHRADDHA-ENDIRA)

BackgroundCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide, and at present, India has the highest burden of acute coronary syndrome and ST-elevation myocardial infarction (MI). A key reason for poor outcomes is non-adherence to medication.MethodsThe intervention is a 2 × 2 factorial design trial applying two interventions individually and in combination with 1:1 allocation ratio: (i) ASHA-led medication adherence initiative comprising of home visits and (ii) m-health intervention using reminders and self-reporting of medication use. This design will lead to four potential experimental conditions: (i) ASHA-led intervention, (ii) m-health intervention, (iii) ASHA and m-health intervention combination, (iv) standard of care. The cluster randomized trial has been chosen as it randomizes communities instead of individuals, avoiding contamination between participants. Subcenters are a natural subset of the health system, and they will be considered as the cluster/unit. The factorial cluster randomized controlled trial (cRCT) will also incorporate a nested health economic evaluation to assess the cost-effectiveness and return on investment (ROI) of the interventions on medication adherence among patients with CVDs. The sample size has been calculated to be 393 individuals per arm with 4–5 subcenters in each arm. A process evaluation to understand the effect of the intervention in terms of acceptability, adoption (uptake), appropriateness, costs, feasibility, fidelity, penetration (integration of a practice within a specific setting), and sustainability will be done.DiscussionThe effect of different types of intervention alone and in combination will be assessed using a cluster randomized design involving 18 subcenter areas. The trial will explore local knowledge and perceptions and empower people by shifting the onus onto themselves for their medication adherence. The proposal is aligned to the WHO-NCD aims of improving the availability of the affordable basic technologies and essential medicines, training the health workforce and strengthening the capacity of at the primary care level, to address the control of NCDs. The proposal also helps expand the use of digital technologies to increase health service access and efficacy for NCD treatment and may help reduce cost of treatment.Trial registrationThe trial has been registered with the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI), reference number CTRI/2023/10/059095.